The whiskey
on your breathCould make a small boy dizzy;But I hung on like death:Such waltzing was not easy.

We
romped until the pansSlid from the kitchen shelf;My mother's countenanceCould
not unfrown itself.

The hand that held my wristWas battered on one knuckle;At every
step you missedMy right ear scraped a buckle.

You beat time on my headWith
a palm caked hard by dirt,Then waltzed me off to bedStill clinging
to your shirt.

1. Identify the rhyme scheme of the poem

ABAB CDCD EFEF GHGH

2. Identify 7 examples of diction and state each word's connotation.

Death –
Dark and the unknown Cling – Hold on tightly Beat – Rhythm and music Romped – To move around
and stompingWaltz – Dance and tango Dizzy – Disoriented and stumblingWhiskey – Drunk

3. Identify 3 sound devices in the poem

“Still
clinging to your shirt” – Alliteration

“The Hand that held my wrist” –
Alliteration

“Such waltzing was not easy” – Alliteration

4. Identify 4 images in the poem

“The whiskey on your breath” –
Olfactory

“Slid from the kitchen shelf” – Tactile

“With a palm caked with dirt”
– Visual

“Your beat time on my head” – Tactile

5. After examining your evidence, state
the speaker's attitude toward his father. Justify your answer in a 3-4 sentence paragraph.

Through diction and imagery,
the speaker gives off a tone of joyfulness and an appreciation for life. The speaker is looking back on his life and telling
about the good memories he had as a child. He loves his fathers and he seems to miss the good times as a child.